Well pumps which supply water to center pivot irrigation systems commonly draw water from sand bearing strata. As a result, such pumps commonly and undesirably drive sandy water through the irrigator's circularly traveling overhead pipe. The water is conveyed radially outwardly through the system's overhead pipe for emission through the overhead pipe's down tube sprinkler outlets, and as the water passes radially outwardly, the system becomes less and less able to effectively purge or discharge the sand. Accordingly, center pivot irrigating systems are least capable of discharging or purging sand at their extreme radially outer ends, resulting in undesirable accumulations of sand.
Such sand accumulations interfere with the function of an irrigation system and to maintain irrigation, water and sand purging valves are known to be installed at an irrigation system's radially outer end. Such purge valves are commonly mechanically complex, and typically undesirably drive a valve seating element or disc in a downstream or water purging direction against a downstream valve seat. Such valve seating action undesirably promotes accumulations of sand at and about the valve's seat and seal components. Such irrigation system purge valves also commonly incorporate a valve housing or body which further undesirably contributes to sand accumulation and valve fouling.
The instant inventive center pivot irrigator water purging assembly solves or ameliorates the problems discussed above by providing a specially configured actuator, support bracket and shunt line assembly which prevents accommodations of sand at and about the valve's body and which automatically purges water from the valve's actuator.